Going To Daytona

Brantley and his crew built this ’65 Dodge and finished in the top 20 at Daytona in the 1968 Permatex race.

Being track champion at Lakewood Speedway as both driver and car owner, Bruce was given an invitation to the 1968 Permatex race at Daytona.

“Like everybody else, I had the dream of going to Daytona, so I bought a Grand National Dodge from Buddy Arrington, which he had wrecked at Martinsville,” Brantley told us.  “We practically rebuilt the whole thing.”

“This Dodge had been wrecked pretty good before we go it,” Davis noted.  “We worked on it all winter to repair and prepare it for the Permatex.  We saw Arrington while we were there, and he swore the thought the car could never have been fixed.  Again, another example of the dedication and effort Bruce put into what he did.”

The Brantley Dodge turned out to be one of the prettiest and best built cars in the field, lining up thirty-third out of 50 starters.

Racing against much better financed machinery under the likes of Bobby and Donnie Allison, Tiny Lund, Red Farmer and others, he brought it up through the field to finish within the top 20.

The car was also hired out for a 1968 Lakewood race for Jim Hurtubise to drive.

“Jim was leading the thing but some little old South Georgia boy put him in the rails and broke the right front A-frame,” Brantley said.

“Hurtubise wrecked the car under caution, regardless of whose fault it was,” Richard Davis added.  “The right upper A-frame was broke, but we quickly welded it in the it area.  Hurtubise wouldn’t get back in the car, saying it was unsafe.  Bruce got in and finished fifth.  Enough said.”